The Triptych: A Masterpiece in Three Parts

The Triptych: A Masterpiece in Three Parts
The central panel of the Portinari Triptych tells the Nativity story with some time travel. Detail of Portinari Triptych, circa 1475, by Hugo van der Goes. 19.1 feet by 9.9 feet. Uffizi Gallery. Public Domain
Yvonne Marcotte
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It’s time for prayer. The businessman opens first the left, then the right side of his hinged painting and spends time with God.

In the Early Renaissance, a rich merchant would often want to thank God for his good fortune. As a devout believer, he would commission a triptych for his home, a small, three-paneled painting to be placed in a niche as a personal shrine.